Please help!! Ortho/peds vs. GPR job prospects

[13th]

Hi everyone!
I'm currently a 3rd year and I'm trying my hardest to narrow down btw these 3 paths! I'm interested in peds and ortho but at the same time I like doing what a general dentist does and like to get faster/better at it so I've also been considering a GPR! My question is about the job prospects of these residencies. What do ortho/peds/GPR residents do after graduation? Are they immediately hired in their respective fields? I'm assuming that maybe GPR residents get hired faster than GPs who haven't done a residency just because they have more experience? Or is that not the case? I'm also currently in TX if that helps anything.

Any feedback/insight will be greatly appreciated! And also if you have any tips in general!

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[2TH MVR]

There are alot of variables involved in choosing a lifelong profession. But in the end .... it's choosing a profession that you are really interested in. All the dental specialties are doing fine economically. Some better than the others, but in the end ..... you will make a good living.
Ortho - Peds - General are all distinctly different. With Peds ... you better have the patience to work on young children. I personally do not. The majority of ortho patients are teenagers and young adults. These are EASY patients to treat. As a GP ... you can cater your services to what ever age demographic you want.
With Peds and General .... you can market directly to the general public for patients. Ortho relies more on referrals. If thinking ortho ... are you comfortable meeting, asking for referrals from GPs? Over time .... I personally and professionally hated this aspect of being an orthdontist.
Where do you plan to practice? A GP can set up shop anywhere. Rural. Urban. A pedo also. A small town probably will not have enough patients for an ortho.
If you plan on working in a saturated urban city. There will be plenty of jobs for all three professions. If you want to open/buy your own private practice .... well .... there will be more competition (DSOs, other dentists) to deal with. Less so in the rural areas. As an ortho .... plan on travelling to many offices. I currently travel to 10 offices. I'm covering for 2 ortho vacancies. I actually like travelling. I like variety.

On average ... the ortho/pedo will probably make more money.
As for doing the GPR. Why? Why not an AEGD if your pointed towards general. Regardless .... the GPR/AEGD will look better on your resume. But the reality is that it probably is not necessary if general is your goal.

 

[13th]

I

There are alot of variables involved in choosing a lifelong profession. But in the end .... it's choosing a profession that you are really interested in. All the dental specialties are doing fine economically. Some better than the others, but in the end ..... you will make a good living.
Ortho - Peds - General are all distinctly different. With Peds ... you better have the patience to work on young children. I personally do not. The majority of ortho patients are teenagers and young adults. These are EASY patients to treat. As a GP ... you can cater your services to what ever age demographic you want.
With Peds and General .... you can market directly to the general public for patients. Ortho relies more on referrals. If thinking ortho ... are you comfortable meeting, asking for referrals from GPs? Over time .... I personally and professionally hated this aspect of being an orthdontist.
Where do you plan to practice? A GP can set up shop anywhere. Rural. Urban. A pedo also. A small town probably will not have enough patients for an ortho.
If you plan on working in a saturated urban city. There will be plenty of jobs for all three professions. If you want to open/buy your own private practice .... well .... there will be more competition (DSOs, other dentists) to deal with. Less so in the rural areas. As an ortho .... plan on travelling to many offices. I currently travel to 10 offices. I'm covering for 2 ortho vacancies. I actually like travelling. I like variety.

On average ... the ortho/pedo will probably make more money.
As for doing the GPR. Why? Why not an AEGD if your pointed towards general. Regardless .... the GPR/AEGD will look better on your resume. But the reality is that it probably is not necessary if general is your goal.

I see! Thank you so much for your input!

 

[Wahoowah]

You could certainly do the GPR or practice to see if general is for you first, but I think it's always easier to go right into a specialty after predoc. I'd encourage you to get as much exposure to peds and ortho now, ideally with folks in private practice in areas you see yourself because their takes are usually more realistic. In the long run you'll probably earn more in ortho/peds unless you can be a very business savvy GP. I don't think a GPR is necessary for getting a job, but remember your earning potential will probably be better if you go to a good GPR/AEGD since you will not only be faster but more confident in terms of treatment planning and procedures like endo, surgical ext, and maybe implants.